


I'm Only Human

by Galactique



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 03:43:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7558822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galactique/pseuds/Galactique
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even Iron Man has a breaking point.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm Only Human

It was past midnight and Tony Stark was tired after spending nearly an hour with Peter Parker in a rather grueling fight against some rogues in Queens. And that wasn’t even counting the hours of cleanup that followed.

No, Tony wasn’t just tired. He was so sore and exhausted that he could barely fly straight. His back pain was excruciating and every jostle of his suit caused him to wince. Friday informed him that he’d suffered some serious muscle strain, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to go home, have a nice, hot bath, and go to bed. He could make arrangements for a massage as soon as he woke up. 

Yes. 

That sounded wonderful. 

He was soaring over a skyscraper when he noticed a figure standing on the very top, alone and far too close to the guardrails for his comfort. Home was calling him, but the gnawing urge to stop and investigate wouldn’t leave him alone. He found himself sighing and diving toward the building where he alighted next to the figure, which turned around and stared at him in shock. The mysterious person was none other than a young woman in a custodial uniform. Anyone else would probably pass her by without a second glance, but not Tony. He pulled back his mask and gave her a wide smile, trying to stay cheerful amidst his weariness. 

“How’s it going, Deja?” he asked, glancing at her nametag. 

She turned away and stared off into the distance. Tony cautiously joined her, placing his hands on the railing as he watched the twinkling, bustling city. Chilly wind whipped at his face as he stared longingly at his tower in the distance. 

Deja took a deep breath before muttering, “Why are you here, Iron Man?” 

Tony shrugged. “It was just an odd place to see someone at this ungodly hour. Do you work here?” 

“Yes. And I wasn’t going to jump,” Deja said firmly. “I needed somewhere to clear my mind. It’s been a bad week.” 

There was a long pause as Tony tried to gather his thoughts. Interpersonal skills were never one of his strong points and he was beginning to feel awkward. Should he make a joke to cheer her up?

“I’m here if you want to talk,” he found himself saying instead. 

And talk they did.

An hour had flown by as Deja poured out her soul to him. It turned out that she was an Inhuman with a lot of problems in her life. She sorrowfully recounted the recent, violent death of her brother, the loss of a coveted internship at a well-respected planetarium, and her recent withdrawal from college because of expenses. Eventually, she fell silent and Tony gently wrapped an arm around her, desperately trying to keep from dozing off. This week had been an absolute nightmare. He hadn’t slept any longer than three hours on a single night. It was all he could do to get his sluggish mind to process the situation. 

“Hey, are you busy tomorrow evening, Deja?”

She pulled away from him, puzzled. “No…but my shift starts at ten.”

“Awesome. I’m going to take you out to dinner at a great French restaurant in Midtown. We can sit down and have a chat about that tuition.” 

She stared at him in disbelief. “You wouldn’t-“

“Of course I would. I want you to get that physics degree. Come up to Avengers Tower around 6:30 and I’ll be there. Deal?”

Her face lit up and she hugged him so tight, he thought she might crush his armor.

*** 

When Tony arrived at the tower, he had half a mind to just fall onto the floor of his workshop after getting out of his armor. By some miracle, he dragged his achy body to the master bedroom, stripped off his sweat-soaked undersuit, and collapsed facedown into his pillows. 

Merely thirty minutes had passed before his phone rang loudly from the bedside table. Angry at himself for neglecting to turn it off and confused at who could possibly be calling, he grabbed it, vowing to stop himself from yelling at someone if it was a wrong number. But, the name that glowed on the screen was the last person he expected. 

“Hello, Barnes,” Tony mumbled, falling back onto his pillows and rubbing his eyes. “This better be good.” 

Bucky sounded panicked. “Stark…I…I had an episode.” 

Tony shot up in bed. “What happened? Where are you?” 

“Brooklyn,” Bucky was struggling to keep his voice level. “I don’t remember anything that happened…. Hydra…. I…. please.” 

“Is anyone hurt? Are YOU hurt?” 

“N-no. Please…you can’t tell Steve.”

Tony jumped out of bed and frantically redressed. “I won’t tell him anything. I promise. Give me your coordinates and I’ll be there to get you, okay?” 

And off Tony went.

*** 

Bucky was peacefully sleeping in the guest room after Tony made him a quick cup of hot chocolate, but Tony tossed and turned all the way until his alarm went off. He barely had enough willpower to move an inch, but then he remembered Bucky and quickly went to check on him. The man was gone. Only a hurriedly scribbled thank you note sat on the bedspread. 

Tony sighed and slowly walked back to his room to get in the shower. He let the hot water pour over him for a long time as he stared blankly at the wall.

*** 

Tony was just putting on his blazer and racing downstairs when his phone rang again. Pepper. He suddenly remembered their plans to meet for breakfast this morning, foolishly scheduled at the same time as an important Avengers meeting that he’d all but forgotten until five minutes ago. 

He and Pepper were still split, but she was one of his closest friends. He always enjoyed spending time with her. It was only a week ago when he’d cried in her arms after an explosive argument with Steve. Only a couple of days ago when he’d called her in the middle of the night because of a terrifyingly vivid nightmare of his time in the cave. The same one that came nearly every night, leaving him crying out into the dark with no one there to comfort him. Some nights, it was just too much for him to handle. Pepper, kind and patient as ever, was always willing to listen. 

And now he told her that he spaced their plans and anxiously begged for her forgiveness. She assured him that it wasn’t a big deal and they could meet up another morning, but it did nothing to console him. He’d let someone down. Again. Why was he such a failure?

***

Tony stumbled into the conference room and took a seat without his usual quips or greetings. 

“Nice of you to show up, Stark. I hope we weren’t interrupting,” Steve said icily. 

Tony ran a hand through his messy hair and stared down at the table. “S’alright, Cap. I’m free until around eleven. Then, I have to help Banner and Fury with some sweet science stuff that’ll probably take up the rest of the day.” He paused, “Hey, I actually remembered something on my itinerary!” 

Steve rolled his eyes and the meeting continued. They talked about the situation with Inhumans popping up more and more around the country. And something about the possibility of one or two joining the Avengers in order to build better relations with the suspicious public. Tony couldn’t stay awake long enough to hear or propose an idea, but was jolted from his nap by Sam kicking him in the shins. Clint snickered. 

“So, which lady…or ladies…wore you out last night?” Clint said. “Sorry, that was a hard question. It’s not like you would remember their names.”

Tony rubbed his temples. “So, the Inhumans, huh? I say we allow one person on the team, train them, and see how it goes.”

“We need a more specific plan than that, Stark,” Natasha said. “I thought you were writing up that report for the big meeting tonight. Please don’t tell me you forgot…”

“Meeting?” Tony asked, trying not to panic. 

“The one with the mayor right before the gala starts at seven?” Steve said in exasperation, giving him a death glare. 

Tony felt himself go cold. He gripped the edge of the table so hard his knuckles turned white. Natasha gave him a worried look. 

“I—I can’t go. I have something,” he was sweating profusely and his heart raced. It felt like his chest was being compressed. Oh no. Please not here. Not in front of everyone. Taking a deep breath, he willed himself not to have a meltdown. 

“What could possibly be more important than working out a solution to make things better for a disenfranchised group in your own damn city?” Steve said heatedly. 

“Since when do you care about my life, Cap?” Tony snapped. 

“That’s just it. It’s always about YOU,” Clint interjected. “We have a chance to help people and you can’t even bother to show up to a meeting on time or do your assignment.”

“Not like that’s anything new. The world revolves around Tony Stark, after all.” Sam muttered. 

“Come on, leave him alone,” Rhodey said from the seat to his right. Tony glanced over and watched him nervously fidget with his pen. “He’s been under a lot of stress.” 

“Oh, yeah. Poor guy. Should we call his personal therapist? It’s tough being a billionaire,” Clint snarked. 

Usually Tony could brush off their words, but today was different. It all hurt so much. Why did they have to do this? 

“None of you could possibly understand what I go through!” he shouted, his voice cracking. 

“We all have our struggles. You’re just too much of a selfish bastard to realize it!” Steve retorted. 

Tony could tell that Steve regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth, but it didn't matter. All of his stress and anger finally crushed him and he clenched his fists, squeezing his eyes shut. For a brief second, he contemplated punching Steve in the face, but he ended up bolting from the room and stumbling into the elevator, pulling at his hair. He needed to get out. 

He ran from the building and wandered aimlessly down the busy street with tears streaming down his cheeks. Passerby stared and pointed in awe and curiosity, but he ignored them. He just needed to get somewhere far away from the Avengers. Far away from the people who were supposed to be his companions. He couldn’t take any more ridicule. 

He took a few steps before his knees gave out and sent him landing hard on the sidewalk. He curled up, trying to shut out the world, and remained there for what seemed like hours until a gentle hand caressed his back and helped him sit up. He found himself face to face with a very concerned Rhodey, the only one who had come after him despite his leg braces and awkward gait. He’d made considerable progress since the accident, but it was still hard for him whenever he was outside of his suit. His dark eyes were gentle and loving. Tony clutched onto his friend, letting out shuddering breaths as Rhodey ran his fingers through his hair and softly kissed him on the forehead. 

“I’m here, Tony. I’m here.”


End file.
